Water district wants to sell former golf course

The Otay Water District will sell part of the former Salt Creek Golf Course.

On Wednesday, the board of directors declared 164 acres of the now-closed course off Hunte Parkway just east of State Route 125 as surplus property. That designation allows the district to sell the land.

State law prevents the water district from selling the land to the highest bidder. Instead, it must give priority to specific entities – like local government agencies or nonprofits – who want to develop the land for certain uses such as building more parkland, schools or affordable housing.

Wednesday’s surplus land determination started a 60-day period where dozens of preferred entities will receive offer letters for the former golf course. If any of those entities show significant interest, state law requires an additional 60-day period for negotiations.

Salt Creek shut down in March 2018 because of money problems. Since the operators took over the course in 2000, they failed to turn a profit, even after the district agreed to offer reduced water rates, according to a report from the water district.

Several golf courses in San Diego County have shut down over the last couple of years. The list includes Sun Valley Golf Course in La Mesa, Stoneridge Country Club, Escondido Country Club, Fallbrook Golf Course and Carmel Highland Golf Course. Many of them attributed high water costs and a growing decline in golfers to their financial troubles.

When Salt Creek closed in March 2018, several high school golf teams were left without a course to practice or compete on. Local golfers and entrepreneurs talked about getting another ownership group to operate the course, but nothing concrete materialized.

The 164 acres of the golf course that the district declared a surplus accounts for about 68 percent of the total course area. The district plans to keep the rest of the land as habitat management, mitigation area, and an operational area that houses water pipes.

The Otay Water District plans to have the surplus property appraised in the near future. But they want to wait until interested parties come forward because having an idea of potential land uses will get them a more accurate appraisal.

If the district does not receive any interest from the preferred entities, they can sell the land through an open bidding process. That process still requires the district to prioritize private developers who propose to build affordable housing.